Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Santa Cruz, Bolivia
      • Deforestation
      • San Julian
      • Growth of Nucleos
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

San Julian A Santa Cruz, Bolivia story

Deforestation  / 
Forests
  1. Santa Cruz, Bolivia
  2. San Julian
Description

Taking a closer look at the San Julian settlements reveals the pattern of deforestation more clearly.

Most of the settlers were from Bolivia’s western highlands, and the rest were poor farmers from the Santa Cruz department. A prolonged drought in the 1980s followed by an economic crisis led to further migration to the San Julian settlements. Settlement was much slower than expected. So even though the satellite images show rapid expansion, growth was planned to be even more rapid.

The farmland is organized in a distinct pattern of nucleos. A nucleo is a square block of land, about 2,000 hectares in size. Two to four hectares in the center are designated as communal land, where a deep well for water is located. Some centers have school buildings, soccer fields, marketing centers, medical treatment posts, or cooperative stores. Planners recognized the importance of soccer by making the cancha, or soccer field, a part of the nucleo center layout in each settlement.

The individual farm plots radiate outward from the central communal area and each covers just under 50 hectares. The major crops are maize, sunflowers, and soybeans. The nucleo pattern provides an area of concentrated social and economic interaction.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

June 17, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 247/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

June 17, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 247/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 2, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 2, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 11, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 11, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 27, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 27, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 1, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 1, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 23, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 23, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 20, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 20, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 23, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 23, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 29, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

July 29, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 19, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Aug. 19, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

June 17, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 247/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
July 2, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
Aug. 11, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
July 27, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
Aug. 1, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
Aug. 23, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
July 20, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
July 23, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
July 29, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia
Aug. 19, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 230/72) — San Julian resettlement, Bolivia

Santa Cruz, Bolivia Additional Imagery & Stories

Deforestation
Deforestation

Every year in Bolivia, a swath of forest two-thirds the size of Delaware is cleared of trees. Most of this deforestation has taken place in lowlands a...

Read More
Growth of Nucleos
Growth of Nucleos

In the 1975 image, the initial clearing for the San Julian settlements is visible along the highway—the pink line heading north-south. Later images sh...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA